Pope scraps 40-year restrictions on Latin Mass
By By Malcolm Moore in Rome and Jonathan Petre
07/07/2007

Pope Benedict XVI has moved to make it easier for Roman Catholic priests to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass, rejecting warnings that parishes would be torn apart by a decision that could "turn back the clock".

Benedict will today release an indult, or dispensation, which removes the bureaucracy required to hold the Tridentine Mass, which is spoken almost entirely in the ancient language.

The Mass has been out of use for more than 40 years, after the Church decided at the Second Vatican Council to celebrate the Mass in the vernacular.

Many Catholics hailed the Pope's decision, savouring the chance to enjoy the traditional Mass and expressing relief that decades of restrictions have been removed. the rest